Fans bid goodbye to Celtics' parquet floor

BOSTON (AP) - Casey Meserve stood on the parquet floor at the FleetCenter on Wednesday wearing a Celtics tank top and an expression longer than a full court pass.

She'd fought through traffic for the final chance to visit the floor that has played host to all of Boston's 16 championship teams, and every player in basketball's Hall of Fame.

The parquet, which has been in use 53 years, was being officially retired after Wednesday night's game against Atlanta.

"It's horrible," Meserve, 19, of Pembroke, said between heavy sighs. "It's a shame. It's been through so much. Havlicek stole the ball here. Larry Bird did so many incredible things. It's not just a floor."

The team allowed fans to take the floor for three hours Wednesday afternoon, and they came in droves.

Some hoisted fake 3-pointers and free throws, others carried their children over the beaten wood and bolts, pointing to spots that were scenes of great Celtics moments.

"This is the end of an era," said Kerry Struble, 33, of Wolfboro, N.H., moments after he picked himself up off the Celtics leprechaun at center court, where he'd posed for a picture.

The parquet was built for $11,000 during World War II. Because of a wood shortage, the floor was made with short boards of red oak of varying lengths and widths. When the Celtics moved out of the old Boston Garden in 1996, they took the floor with them.

The floor had various imperfections, from wide seams between the boards to supposed dead spots, where the Celtics were said to direct opponents in hopes of stealing the ball.

A halftime ceremony called "Parquet Memories," featuring Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek, was planned for Wednesday night.

The new $200,000 floor will look much the same as the old one, complete with the leprechaun at center court. But it will have a shock-absorbing system that should ease the wear and tear on the players.

The team said it would salvage some boards from the old floor and use them as replacement boards on the new surface, which should be in place when the Celtics play Cleveland on Jan. 3.

This nod to tradition mattered little to John Daley, 59, of Needham. He remembered firing off a letter of advice to Red Auerbach when he was a boy, heartbroken over a Celtics playoff loss. He also remembers the string of 11 championships in 13 years.

"Why would you want to get rid of it?" he said.

Some fans had a decidedly more practical approach to the last days of parquet.

Tammy Struble, 29, a self-described basketball maven, said she didn't understand all the hubbub over a collection of worn boards.

"I feel a little geeky here," she said. "There's no mystique. It's just a floor."

Craig Cameron, 18, of Hopkinton, said a closer look at the floor was an eye-opener for him. It probably does need to be replaced, he said.

"It seems like it's getting a little old," he said. "At the same time, it's a shame. It's a link to the past, to the Garden's glory days. Besides the (championship) banners, this is all that's left."